Articles for Mediators
The Scope and Potential of Professional Family Mediation
By Larry Gaughan | It is time to recreate the excitement of the 1980’s and move family mediation toward recognition as a fully established, separate, credentialed profession.
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It’s High Time to Draft All Divorce Agreements In 21st Century English
By Larry Gaughan | An impassioned plea for writing divorce agreements in language the parties can easily understand, instead of using antiquated form-books.
read moreToward a Unified Profession of Family Mediation
By Steve Erickson | Professional family mediators need both process skills and substantive knowledge about child development, parenting, family law, budgeting, and more.
read moreThe Creative Solution
By Chip Rose | How a mediation proceeds and how it ends depend on how it begins. Beginning with macro questions the clients can say yes to gets them off to a good start.
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Using Appreciative Inquiry in Parent/Teen Mediation
By Judy Larkins | When parents and teens are in conflict, a mediator, using the Appreciative Inquiry (AI) approach, can help them restore their positive relationship and create shared plans.
read moreA Letter from your 2018 APFM President
By Virginia Colin | APFM is becoming the go-to resource for family mediators in need of training, mentoring, and support, and the go-to resource for families in need of professional family mediation services. Join us!
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The Scope of Family Mediation
By Georgia Daniels | From childhood through marriage, maybe divorce, elder care decisions, and probate, mediation can help families prevent or resolve conflicts peacefully and constructively.
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QUESTIONS
By Michael Lang | As a mediator, what questions are best to ask? How do you know when it is the right time to ask one? Reflective practice …
read moreMindfulness for Mediators: Towards Avoiding Ethical Pitfalls and Doing Better Mediations
By Stuart Reed | Being present, authentic, patient, and committed to integrity are aims of mindfulness. These same qualities can help mediators avoid ethical pitfalls and better serve mediation participants.
read moreStandards — Self-Determination
By Steve Erickson | We need a way to assess skills and provide credentials for family mediators who are client-centered, non-coercive, and respectful of self-determination. Other approaches masquerading as mediation are confusing the public.
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New Tax Law Significantly Impacts Couples Going Through Divorce
By Michael Wayland | What aspects of new tax law affect divorce settlements? Changes related to filing status, standard deductions, child tax credit, alimony, mortgage interest, and home equity loans are discussed.
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Careers in Family Mediation
By Virginia Colin | By forming a mentoring network and learning from each other, professional family mediators can build successful careers. Success includes earning a living.
read moreYou may have interest in prior editions of APFM’s newsletter, The Professional Family Mediator.